Motor vehicle driving mechanism



April 1936. H. A. FLOGAUS MOTOR VEHICLE DRIVING MECHANISM Filed June 21, 1934 Paten ed Apr. 14, 1936 I 2,037,464-

UNITED STATES PATENT) OFiFlCE- MOTOR DRIVING MECHANISM Howard A. Flogaus, Ferndale, Mich assignor to General Motors Truck Corporation, Pontiac, Mich, acorporation of Delaware Application June 21, 1934, Serial No. 731,669

a V 4 Claims. (01.180-70) This invention has to do with motor vehicles mounted for rotation upon a forwardly bowed and more'particularly to a relatively compact dead axle 3 which supports, through suitable arrangement of the large and bulky drive elesprings, the chassis frame which may be so conments required for heavy duty use as in the case structed as to form'an integral part of the body of passenger coaches. structure. When so constructed the body fram- 5 For the satisfactory operation of large buses ing includes a. pair of longitudinally extending an enormous power plant is required, and acmain frame members 4 and 5, preferably of chancording to practices heretofore generally folnel shape, towhich are secured at spaced intervals lowed, a considerable amount of space is occua number of transvers fra elements D- 1 pied by the propelling mechanism. Recently atporting vertical posts or pillars in the side walls I tempts have been made to increase pay load and roof, as Will be r di understoodspace by locating the engine uhder'the passeng The two transverse frame members 6 and! at seats and beneath the floor at either the side or reel of the Vehicle p d e mo t g the rear of the vehicle. In a few instances the t b tw en of the vehicle power p t w c in power plant unit, including engine, cmt h and the present case includes an internal combustion 15 variable speed mechanism, is located beyond the eylinder-in-line engine 8 driving t n d a anv driving axle and transverselybf the vehicle be- 9 for u n fl w of air through the en neath a long seat backing against the rear wall 00011118 radiator and having at its pp 'of the body, and it is to this type of construction end a clutch and flywheel ll associatedwith the that the present invention relates. 91181118 crank shaft and enclosed Within a For practical reasons, and especially in the housing 3 rigid With t engine rank case. The matter of passing other vehicles on the road, the clutiih Shaft extends through and beyond a width of a motor coach, however long, cannot ex- S housing having hearing at la in the ceed a given maximum, and this limits the over- Outer w of the housing I5 nd a in a pulley all size of a unit 'power plant of conventional the like 9x13611011? (it the unit for driving 25 design positioned crosswise of the vehicle. For Various accessories, h as an h p r; heavy duty use the length of an engine, cl t or an electric current generator. Extending.for-

and transmission, assembly required for a power Wardly from the housing at an cute angle to output, sufficient for satisfactory operation is the newer shaft is an extension 18 providing a 3 greater than the permissible maximum vehicle bearing) the shaft of the bevelled gear width. With this in. mind, it is here proposed h meshes with'end is driven by a b ve led t arrange th dr1v1ng= elements, n of which gear 22 keyed or splined on the-clutch or power are mainly of standard and proven desigmin a Output shaft v i more compact grouping to the space. Between the power unit and driving I available. Accordingly the engine and clutch as I and 2 iS located a differential and a variable 35- a are memely of the vehicle Speed mechanism joined as a and. preferably with the cylinder block of the engine, which is Supported 119011 h b yw k. Th s uniboth long and high, projecting above the body tal'y 5 is eliclosed Within singularly d floor hne and being accommodated under the Posed housings 25 d 2 with the diflerential 40 passenger s at 0' -v the lik l th rear l housing 25 located substantially on the vehicle .40 of t vehicle body g variable g mechcenter line and having a forward extension 28 anism is joined as a unit with the axle diner by which e end. of t unit is np rt 'im a I enhal beneath t floor and is driven transverse frame member 21, while the rearward versally jointed propeller shaft extending thereto end of h i i pported upon a diagon l diagonally of the vehicle center line from the disposed framing em nt 23 at e rear of the 45 output side' of the transversely disposed power transmission housing The ch pe d generating unit. mechanism, which may be of any approved type,

The improved construction will be understood has ts pu shaft 29 e e di t a acute lat- ,best by reference to the accompanyi g drawing, 1 eral angle in line with the drive shaft section 20,

illustrating a preferred'embodiment andinwhich and the two shafts are connected by a splined 50 the figure is a plan view of the r ar portion 1 sectioned propeller or drive shaft ilLconnected t co chbody framing and the propelling mechat one end through a universal joint 3| with the anism associated therewith. shaft 20, and at its opposite end through a uni Referring to-the drawing, the numerals l2 versal Joint 32 with the transmission shaft 2!. indicate apair of transversely spaoeddual wheels The miv'ersally jointed and splined sectioned 55 til propeller shaft provides for slight misalinement and body frame distortion.

The output shaft of the variable speed mechanism carries abevelled gear 34 engaging the ring gear 35 of the rear axle difierential for driving the road wheels through universally jointed axle shafts 36 and 3?. If desired, an additional casing member it can be interposed between the angularly disposed housings 25 and 26 for supporting suitable brake mechanism including a contracting friction band which acts upon a drumcarried by the transmission output shaft. An operating'lever ii is indicated in the drawing for applying the brake mechanism. In this connection it may be pointed out that the brake, transmission, clutch and other control mechanisms may be actuated from the remote position of the operator at the forward end of the vehicle, either by long levers directly, or through suitable electrical, hydraulic or air devices, or any combination thereof.

From the above description it will be apparent I drive axles, brake mechanism and change speed means diagonally disposed with reference to the axles, a power plant unit including an engine and a clutch disposed transversely at the rear end of the body and being so constructed and arranged as to occupy substantially the entire width of the body and a universally jointed propeller shaft extending diagonally of the power plant in line with the change speed means of said power transmitting unit and operably connecting the change speed means with the clutch end of the power plant unit.

riable speed mechanisms respectively,

trally disposed difierentia-l and a diagonally related change speed mechanism, a diagonally disposed drive shaft connecting said change speed mechanismand the clutch through said gear box and accessory drive means beyond the gear box operatively connected with the clutch.

3. In a motor vehicle, a supporting structure, a transversely disposed engine and clutch unit mounted on said structure, a diiferential drive and variable speed unit including angularly related housings enclosing the differential and vameans mounting opposite ends of the latter unit on the supporting structure, and a universally jointed drive shaft extending diagonally of the engine in line with the variable speed housing and coupling said clutch and variable speed mechanism.

4. A motor vehicle having a frame supporting side and end walls, a'pair of transversely spaced drive wheels located inwardly of the sidewalls and spaced longitudinally from said end wall,

a power plant, including an engine, a clutch and a gear box arranged in transverse succession behind the wheels and adjacent said end wall, said clutch having an output shaft extending through and beyond said gear box and carrying accessory drive means thereon, a propeller shaft having a. drive connection located ,within said box and connected with said clutch output shaft, a variable speed unit and a differential unit arranged in longitudinal succession and fixedly mounted on the frame, said variable speed unit having an input shaft joined to said propeller shaft and an output shaft drive connected with the differential unit, a brake associated withthe output shaft, universally jointed axle shafts extending outwardly from the differential to saidwheels, and a dead axle onwhich the wheels are mounted.

HOWARD A. FLOGAUS. 

